Well, it seems like US Airways has done it – they followed up and offered a reimbursement on my luggage debacle. Sort of.
If you read the earlier post about the shenanigans that occurred on my way back from Cancun a few weeks ago, you learned that a baggage employee rifled through my bag and stole my Canon Rebel camera, telephoto lens and my dob bag. The value was quite extensive – but since I bought my camera used, I couldn’t produce the ACTUAL receipt of the purchase price.
I sent in the necessary forms, evidence that I did, in fact, own the camera (box UPC, pictures, warranty info), but not the actual receipt. The previous owner no longer has it.
After waiting only a few weeks (which is a delight seeing that most horror stories about lost or stolen luggage require 10-12 weeks of a response time), US Airways sent me a letter on February 16th.
It reads:
Dear Mr. Benson:
Thank you for contacting the Central Baggage Resolution Office at US Airways. We appreciate hearing from our customers and having an opportunity to address your baggage concerns.
Despite our efforts, via both computer tracing and a physical search of our warehouse and airport locations, we have been unsuccessful in locating your property. We apologize for the inconvenience we have caused you. This is not the impression we wish to convey or the level of service we strive to provide.
As settlement to your claim, our check in the amount of $170.00 will be mailed under separate cover. In the absence of proof of value requirements requested on the Passenger Property Form, this the most we are prepared to offer. If substantiation of the original purchase price for these items with a singular cost of over $150 is provided at a later date, I will consider additional reimbursement.
We are capable of providing better service and look forward to the opportunity to do so the next time you travel with us.
So there you have it. US Airways came through, responded and I’m even getting some money back. Sure, $170 won’t cover the camera, the lens, the bag, the contents of the bag and most importantly, the pictures of Christmas and my trip to Cancun, but at least the did SOMETHING. I think when this kind of thing happens, many times all customers are looking for is SOMETHING. An admittance that they dropped the ball. At the very least, maybe they’d just like to have their $20 back for checking their dumb bag.
I feel like US Airways did the right thing. I’m hoping anyone else who has a bag or personal property stolen while in transit can find a little relief by reading this post and learning that yes, the big airlines to follow through when bad things happen. They paid some money – and left the gate open for paying more if necessary.
That’s pretty good in my book.
Case closed.
